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Month: July 2014

Its dusk..Poetic to call it so I think. Its dusk and I look out to the chamundi betta..fondly called so by the locals from my terrace and ponder over the Infinite possibilities of what ‘all this’ could mean..Yes we humans are so hell bent on finding the meaning of it all..My imagination takes flight..I have been attempting to dip my toes into astrology for ages now..Its a constant topic of study I find fascinating and is constantly in my easy reach by way of the internet. Recently I came across a statement which brought to mind what the centaur Firenze told Ron in the Harry Potter Series-Goblet of fire when he came to teach Divination- He said-(Centaurs observe the larger movements of the stars, and they refuse to use these larger movements to predict “human nonsense” (27.43) like love or accidents.

Instead, the centaurs “watch the skies for great tides of evil or change that are sometimes marked there. It may take ten years to be sure of what we are seeing” (27.49).).

ANother statement I came across recently said-” It is not that our destiny is determined by the stars from the moment we are born, its quite the reverse, the stars are simply a reflection of our destinies reflected in the moment we are born.”

It brings to mind the earth as the centre of the 12 zodiac signs and the 27 constellations and we individuals ,when born, send out a stamp to this infinitely complex arrangement of stars and zodiacs and its simply there for all to see. It is only our actions that can modify this ‘shout out’ or ‘stamp’ to this infinite complexity. By actions I don’t mean the meaningless ‘dosha pariharas’ or remedies for which we run behind jyothishis who most of the time rip us off ,milking our desperation. It means we are empowered to understand this ‘pre-written’ elements which the ancient texts tell us are simply ways of helping us achieve understanding or enlightenment. And in this understanding we try to accept and ‘go with the flow’ to fulfil this movement in the cosmic flow that is our lives.
Astrology has nothing to do with things as shallow as religion or remedies by feeding animals or wearing a ring or marrying a tree. It is simply a science of study of the state of the stars which reflect who each of us are at the most individual level. And please..By science I do not mean contemporary definition of Science. By science I mean the field of study. I could just as easily call it art but to me it is a form of Ancient science. Grossly misunderstood in its crudest most corrupted form by mankind, having nothing to do with the religion it is said to spawn from or the gods that religion purports we have to bow to. It is pure knowledge. Granted though that it is not scientifically field tested or validated because there is no true teacher of it who is not corrupted by the human elements that are piece by piece destroying the depth of knowledge contained in this ancient science . Hence I wait for the day when contemporary Science will turn its attention to astrology and devise methods to study this ancient form of Science by distilling all the nonsense mankind has infused in it and return back to us distilled knowledge of the stars.
Man is foolish to think that any amount of manipulation can change the larger picture that is our destinies. Yes we are given choice, moments when even our destinies falter and pause to look at us and ask-How about this then eh? But most of the time it is futile to consult the stars for things as shallow as changing our destined paths. Actions, our actions, will affect our lives. I think this is because even the stars give bifurcations to us in our paths. And that is probably the reason that our truest teacher is our instinct which we never really pay attention to. Our instincts are constantly telling us, guiding us through .. Instincts- Our internal loudspeakers that are constantly speaking to the universe. The spark of the Divine in each of us-That IS each of us. Holy Spirit I think Christianity calls it. Many other names it is called in other religions. Instinct- Like a huge urge to take the leap after having carefully weighed its pros and cons or many a times, not having done that . Shout outs to the universe. Instinct- A call from our inner Divinity. The assurance that each of us are the centres of our own universe that is our destinies-Written in the stars. Thats all. Like the script of a play- Its all written, even actors are allowed to alter the script now and then, or the directors might get bored 😛
As shakespeare said -“All the world is a stage and all are mere actors.”
I simply wonder. Who are the audience? Or are there any in any realm, in any form, in any dimension?

A gasp escaped my lips..In awe..These mountains..These majestic beings..Stood there so proud..I felt unworthy to gaze upon them..Millenia before the epoch of man they stood..and millenia after they will still stand.. Now..For now they are but backgrounds for me to click a selfie with my buddies..But then I turn and look at them again..and am afraid to be lost in their majesty..To want to be noticed by them even once..That I see them..I want to scream to the world what it felt to be looking at them..to see those infinite silhouettes cascading into the horizon..Moutains..Majestic..Silent..Always reminding us humans of how truly minuscle we are..And I am but humbled by it.

Then I saw a tree..A Peepal tree..Local folklore claims it to be 860 years old..I sat beneath it..Simply taking in its sheer size and reach..The leaves rustled in the wind..young ones..looked like they were waving their hands about to the hurry of the wind..Young..But the tree itself stood..Atop a hill..witness to all around it and all the way upto where the mountains permitted its sight..It saw..the tree..860 year old tree..It was glorious..Even more glorious was the quality of the sheer silence that capsulated this whole experience..I can’t believe it but we actually survived the weekend without network of any form and it was sheer peace..So peaceful that i was scared to dwell in it..Lest it stay and I be lost.

I remember the amazing food I had that my lovely hosts prepared.. bisibele baath..The thopu(home -made ghee) and homemade butter..with akki roti..I was later told that malnadu akki rotis are celebrated..and dude..why not..it was such a delectable luxury..Fun and pictures taken along the way do preserve the memories..But I realized it doesnt preserve the way I felt about it..That can come only by writing about the experience thus..And hence after internship i think..I attempt to chronicle life again..Wishing I could have started earlier..hoping life gives me much more amazing memories to capture like this..And moments to be alive and be alive again when I relive them.

It is. and it’s just that. Happiness is tough business.But like anything worth the while,once mastered it becomes natural.In all honesty earlier it was probably much easier to be happy. Less choices. More silence, More real people, Less false fake role models, and no bombardment of globalization. Being honestly happy from within was a simple state of being for people earlier. However ofcourse I would not deny that their external struggles were monumental

But in today’s day and age inspite of all the increasing physical comforts, it is increasingly difficult I think.To be happy from within. But well , so is metabolism for trees because the air is so much more polluted ,right? What is the remotest connection?

Let me explain. Trees metabolize raw materials- sunlight, chlorophyll, water and so on to create Oxygen. The reactions are an active process to continue the cycle of life. They give Oxygen to the earth, which sustains life in it. This life of other living organisms in turn nurtures the tree and the cycle of life continues.If the tree one fine day decides- “Am not going to carry out metabolism, am just gonna sit here and wait for someone else to metabolize and create Oxygen”-

Oops..we would have a problem..

Creating and sustaining life..An active process.

Similarly, I believe creation of of any thing or process that is positive is an active, never-ending process.Here I take the liberty of calling the creation of Oxygen a positive process.It is true for a phenomenon as basic as creation of oxygen to the grandest philosophies we humans have created.

Evil can never truly be eliminated. It can only be kept at bay. Our super heores are not really all that far from the true story of our world. Good has to constantly strive, actively to keep evil at bay. Metabolism has to actively happen to prevent stagnation and decay at bay.

Every single day.

Happiness is something like that. It has to be a conscious choice. Every single day.Just like your body chooses to metabolize and sustain you- Actively- Every day.

Have a happy day! And may you reach the state of effortless happiness.

Its important to be pretty..At least it definitely makes life a lot easier..And anyone who is saying anything else is delusional..

Yes, I can see the skeptical looks..But hey..Let’s look at it..I would definitely pay attention to a pretty face faster than a plain jane/jo. People are easily charmed by a pretty face than a plain jane/jo. The WORLD in its oh-not-so-subtle terms screams the importance of a pretty face..When Helen of Troy was marked for generations as the face that launched a thousand ships, nobody asked for her IQ or her professional qualifications..Few men found her pretty..Few- happened to be a king and a prince..and voila! A war ensued.

A pretty face..A pretty body..Cultural perceptions of what is pretty and what is not..Magazines and movies and pop culture why our very own people often telling us constantly to be pretty or what constitutes pretty..Whew..Highly overrated.

But overrated it is.

Pretty..good..Beautiful..Extraordinary..

Yes – its a definite advantage having a pretty face. But is that all? Big Pretty eyes are adorable..But can i be staring into those eyes infinitly? God no! lol! Pretty eyes coupled with thoughts..Pretty eyes coupled with care and concern for a loved one or set in determination to fight and conquer a cause or purpose..Now thats sexy..And Gosh! That is Beautiful!

A hot body..Pretty..Using that gift to give form to an art-say dance-Beautiful..USing that gift to learn a new sport say, travel to new places or make a cozy nest with you..Beautiful..

Body..Mind..Soul..

The body..or what we see externally is so often thrown up on this pedestal and thrown all the spotlight at in a way that is just scary..Bad. So much pressure to be this or be that way..don’t be this way or don’t be that way..Mind and soul engaged in the holding up of that shaky pedestal..Where is the time or energy to focus on being alive! On nurturing the mind and soul? On creating beautiful selves???

Pretty is just the body..and don’t you worry there are plenty of softwares making it extremely easy for anyone who wants to look like a diva..Infinite angles and types of cameras and instruments–surgical even-to help you attain that perfect shape..But then what?What about the mind and soul? The body is but a vessel..What if that vessel is opened to reveal rubbish! How does that even matter..True to our crude human selves we are constantly attracted by the better packaging..From supermarkets to how we pick people in our lives..AM no exception!. But do we read the ingredients?Even if there were toxins in the product..assuming its an edible thing..Would you still eat it because of its packaging? See?? Body..Overrated..The mind and soul..now there are two priceless treasures.